


Hopeless

by The_Pan_With_A_Plan



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Canon Era, Happy Ending, Multi, Oneshot, Pining, Pre-Relationship, implied happy ending, sorta?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 12:06:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16853668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Pan_With_A_Plan/pseuds/The_Pan_With_A_Plan
Summary: Davey has feelings for Jack after the strike, but it's hopeless... right?





	Hopeless

“Davey?”  
“Huh?”  
“You’re staring again.”  
“Wha- no I’m not! I’m not staring at anything! Jack’s working on a really cool painting, and I’m just…. staring at it. The painting.” Crutchie said nothing, just stared at the boy sympathetically. After a few awkward seconds, Davey sighed.  
“It’s not the art, it’s the artist, isn’t it?” Crutchie asked softly. Davey emitted a mumble and a squeak, which the blond boy took as a yes. He waited for a couple seconds, and Davey began to speak.  
“Just…. Ever since the strike, I.. I can’t stop thinking about….” he trailed off, realizing what he was saying and just how many boys were in the theater with them, Jack among them. Crutchie, realizing this, hobbled into the hallway, motioning for his friend to follow. They sat down against the wall, and Davey fidgeted with his cuff.  
“It’s been nearly a month since the strike, but I just can’t seem to look away. I know it’s a terrible idea, but… I’m just so drawn to him,” his expression soured, and he spoke again.  
“Whatever. It’s hopeless, anyway. He’s taken, and he’s probably straight.” At that, Crutchie let out a mysterious smile, and Davey, absorbed in his sleeve, didn’t notice. The brown haired boy sighed again, then stood up and helped his friend up. They walked back into the room with the rest of the group, and Davey couldn’t help wincing when he saw Jack laughing, his arm around Katherine’s waist.  
<><><>  
A month had passed since the conversation in the theater. Jealousy and longing had settled a while ago as a dull, painful rock in Davey’s chest. A few weeks earlier, Katherine had slowly stopped hanging around the newsies, and rumors were beginning to swirl. At first, Daveys, heart had swelled (much to his guilt), but then he thought, “don’t get your hopes up, David. There’ll be another girl soon, and it will be the same thing all over again.” So he had continued to hurt, and he continued to hurt even now, as he sat on a bed in the newsboy lodge, reading a book. Jack sat on another bed across the room, drawing in the sketchbook Medda gave him. He was absorbed in an exciting chapter, and he hadn’t looked up at Jack in well over a minute (a feat which he was very proud of), when he heard a soft sigh. He looked up, and he saw Jack’s head snap down to his sketchbook, blushing furiously. Confused, nervous, and giddy, he thought to himself, “maybe things aren’t so hopeless after all.”


End file.
